US Military Deaths In Afghanistan at 1,735

As of Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011, at least 1,735 members of the U.S. military had died in Afghanistan as a result of the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, according to an Associated Press count.

The AP count is five less than the Defense Department's tally, last updated Monday at 10 a.m. EST.

At least 1,460 military service members have died in Afghanistan as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.

Outside of Afghanistan, the department reports at least 103 more members of the U.S. military died in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Of those, 12 were the result of hostile action.

The AP count of total OEF casualties outside of Afghanistan is the same as the department's tally.

The Defense Department also counts three military civilian deaths.

Since the start of U.S. military operations in Afghanistan, 15,090 U.S. service members have been wounded in hostile action, according to the Defense Department.

The latest identifications reported by the military:

--Maj. Samuel M. Griffith, 36, of Virginia Beach, Va., died Dec. 14 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan; assigned to 4th Air-Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, Marine Forces Reserve, West Palm Beach, Fla.

--Pvt. Jalfred D. Vaquerano, 20, of Apopka, Fla., died Dec. 13 in Landstuhl, Germany, of injuries suffered from enemy small-arms fire while deployed in Logar province, Afghanistan; assigned to 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas.

--Two soldiers died Dec. 11 in Kunar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device. Killed were Sgt. Christopher L. Muniz, 24, of New Cuyama, Calif., assigned to the 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, and Spc. Ronald H. Wildrick Jr., 30, of Blairstown, N.J., assigned to 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)